"My job, my mission, the reason I've been put on this planet, is to save wildlife." -Steve Irwin

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Stories like this completely break my heart. I recently came across a Huffington Post article about a sweet, adorable pitbull named Caitlyn who was mutilated by horrible humans who taped her mouth closed. The lovable pup was found with tape so tight around her mouth that circulation was cut off to her tongue. Thanks to the veterinary care team at Charleston Animal Society, she is being treated, and is showing improvement. At the time of the article, Caitlyn had started eating some, but it is up in the air as to whether or not she will need to have a portion of her mouth and tongue amputated, though it seems likely.

The fact that someone out there is sick and depraved enough to do that to an animal is so disturbing. Isn’t violence to animals one of the signs of a sociopath? How can some one look a living creature in the eye and do something so cruel? The animals aren’t able to speak up for themselves, and they rely on their caregivers to protect them and keep them safe and healthy. Thank goodness there are people out there like the staff at the Charleston Animal Society to help care for these animals and give them a second chance. Working in the veterinary field, I hope I never have to see something so awful.

It was announced last week that a 1 week old panther kitten was found alone, frail, and dying in Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Collier County back in January. A group of researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida found the kitten very lethargic and weighing just 1 pound. They knew this little one wouldn’t survive without intervention.

“We want to give any panther kitten the best opportunity to survive in the wild, but clearly this kitten was in poor condition and almost certainly would have died without intervention.” – Dr. Mark Cunningham, FWC news release

The kitten was taken to Naples for triage care at Animal Specialty Hospital of Florida, and then, once strong enough, moved to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa for longer term care and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, because the kitten was just 1 week old when found, he will be completely raised by humans and will not be releasable. He won’t have the benefit of his mother teaching him to hunt and survive. In the wild, a young panther would stay with its mother for a year and a half to two years. This means that the kitten will never gain the skills to survive in the wild. There are only around 80 to 100 Florida panthers remaining, making them one of the most endangered mammals.

A little green nocturnal Australian ground bird, known as the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis), was recently seen and filmed for the first time in over a century. The naturalist who found the bird has decided to keep its whereabouts secret to protect it and others from visits by humans. His decision is being supported by the director of CISRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) which is a governmental research body. The bird has been listed by the IUCN as critically endangered since 2012, it’s populations being threatened by feral cats and other animals and by human development since European settlement.

I was so sad to read today that ten security officers are implicated in illegal poaching in Kenya’s Tsavo Conservation Area. Rather than being fired immediately, they are to return to work twice a month and will be fired if they continue involvement in illegal activity.

Elephant remains in Cameroon, where more than 300 were killed by poachers, armed with grenades and AK-47s.(photo not associated with poachers in TCA)Source Link

So basically, more animals need to die before these ten…TEN…officers will be fired. That is crazy to me. If they already know they were involved in poaching, they shouldn’t be allowed to work in the wildlife service at all anymore. They should be arrested and thrown in jail. This sickens me. The very people to are supposed to be protecting the animals in the conservation area are the ones killing them. I am so sad to read things like this.

Scientists in Russia recently uncovered one of the best preserved mammoths ever found! This mammoth had not only well preserved tissue but also liquid blood. Attempts have been made in the past to clone extinct mammoths for the purpose of studying them but this may be one of the best chances yet. Only time will tell. Check out the news story below: